From Gabby:

I think like many people in the world, I am seeking ways to help realize and inspire a more just and equitable society through my work and through my academic training. As someone who generally has a very solitary practice, I am using this CoLab experience as a way to push myself out of my comfort zone of solo art making to be in community with like-minded people in order to effectively do the work that so desperately needs to be done.

This is hard to write. I have never been the subject of a crowdfunding campaign before. They make me uncomfortable. I am too proud, I suppose. I am asking for your support today as one of many underemployed Americans during a pandemic and election season that have likely strained your own capacity to give and live as you might like. I am humbled by your consideration.

Visit https://www.gfollettsumney.com/stills.html for examples of print work.

About the CoLAB:

The UnionDocs Collaborative Studio (CoLAB) is a program for a select group of media artists from the US and abroad. Based in one of NYC’s most exciting neighborhoods, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, CoLAB offers a platform for exploring contemporary approaches to the documentary arts and a process for developing an innovative collaborative project. The program consists of weekly production meetings, seminars, screenings and other public programs, along with regular masterclasses and critiques with visiting artists. In a recent article in The New York Times, film scholar Scott MacDonald, remarked, “UnionDocs has a healthy sense that the older definitions of what constitutes ‘experimental’ cinema and what constitutes ‘documentary’ are up for grabs.” Similarly, the UnionDocs Collaborative Studio represents a new and alternative fellowship model, offering residency and visa support for six participants coming from abroad and an equal number of spots for local, non-resident participants. It is designed to be affordable and, although participants are asked to make CoLAB their primary creative focus, the schedule does accommodate full-time or freelance work. The Brooklyn Rail summed it up with the title of their feature article: “UnionDocs Brings Auteurs Together”. For some, participation in the program may lead to further study. For others, it may lead to independent projects or strengthened careers within the industry. For all, it is an unparalleled immersion in the expansive field of documentary art.

UnionDocs hopes to build from our experience running the Collaborative Studio (read more about the 10 month CoLAB here), but retool this well established program to fit current necessities. This new opportunity will be shorter, but more concentrated with participation offered in-residence or remotely; still engaged with theory and practice, but geared to explicitly support political media production, mutual aid, direct action, and urgent praxis. You can find out more about this year’s Collaborative Studio, Another World is Possible.